Ridiculous Intolerance

You know, I was going to write about my Mom's wedding this weekend, and the fact that I'm babysitting her cat etc, but a much more important topic just sort of landed in my lap.
Here where I work there's a pre-op transsexual, I'll call her G. Anyway, G started work here as a man, and later decided to become a woman. She'd always been a rather effeminate male anyway, and was rumored to be gay or "queer" in some sense. After she started taking hormones, she let the manufacturing manager know, and the office manager, who informed all the employees. Now, I think anyone who works in manufacturing in Southwestern Ohio would be able to tell you that, well, things are very closed minded around here. G quickly found that people who'd been her friends for years suddenly wanted nothing to do with her at all. Not only that, but there was a constant buzz of conversation behind her back. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think anyone would have expected a bunch of blue collar men to 100% accept that one of their buddies had decided to change gender, but I think G was honestly surprised that they couldn't seem to understand that G and the man they'd known and liked were the same person.
I made sure G knew I supported her decision and would be her friend regardless of what others thought of me or her. I know what it's like to be on the outside of a group, and more importantly I recognized that it would be a difficult road for G here.
What prompted me to write this today is something that happened Friday, but only came to my attention this morning. We had a little cookout here Friday, in honor of a long time employee who's moving to another state. G did all of the grilling, as she usually does. She invited T, her girlfriend, to hang out with us. In retrospect, she probably should have asked if it was ok, but G has been here a long time and didn't think there would be any problem with a friend stopping by to eat with us. We weren't inside the plant, and it was G's lunch hour anyway. It should, be noted that T is also a transsexual.
G was told on Friday afternoon, by the plant manager, that she'd ruined the whole cookout. Because of the narrow minded mental midgets who work in the plant, G got berated. It would have been ok if T was a genetic girl, or a genetic guy, but because she was a transsexual, it ruined the whole cookout? It disgusts me that people can't open their minds enough to see past their own hangups. What difference does it make whether G or T are genetic guys, genetic girls, or transsexuals? I heard some of the guys making ridiculous comments like "I need antibiotics now" and other such stupidity. I hate to break it to all the redneck morons here, but G and T are far less likely to have a disease than the rest of the hetero yahoos. I'm not going to get into the details, but keep in mind they're both pre-op and are taking female hormones....and extrapolate from there.
Anyway, the point is that people have to look past their own fears and insecurities. G and T aren't hurting anyone, so it doesn't make any sense to me that people can't just leave them alone. All you do, when you pick at people, is highlight the very things you're most scared and vulnerable about. It's clear to me, now, that most of the men here are very insecure in their sexuality. They're so worried that they might be called gay that they can't even tolerate, much less be friends with, someone who's worked here for years. It's sad, and it's a side of humanity that I wish more than anything could be changed. It's that attitude and those views that keep the queer community in the shadows.